U-Haul truck plows into Humane Association; officials in need of pet fosters

"At this point, the U-Haul is the only thing holding this side of the building up, which creates a very serious safety hazard for the dogs in our kennels," the post said.

At the scene, Angie Gillenwater, the Humane Association's community engagement manager, said the U-Haul was being driven by a man who came to the shelter to reclaim his pet. Law enforcement officials were on scene, but details of their investigation were not immediately available.

The vehicle struck the building near a grooming area, Gillenwater said.

"It completely destroyed that area, as well as a handful of kennels that are in the back," she said.

One dog hurt

Three to five volunteers and about 15 staff members were present at the facility when the incident occurred. No volunteers or staff were injured but one dog sustained a leg injury, Gillenwater said.

Employees heard a loud crash and — despite the ensuing chaos — leapt into action to begin evacuating animals from the area, Gillenwater said.

"Our first order of business was to make sure the dogs were OK," she said. "So a bunch of our staff crawled through the rubble to get to them."

The shelter was at "state-of-emergency" capacity even before the crash occurred, Gillenwater said. She said that equates to about 250 animals, 118 of which are available for adoption.

"Every single place where we could put a dog is full — bathrooms, offices, kennels," she said.

'He told the police that his gas pedal stuck'

The U-Haul punched far enough into the shelter to cause major structural damage, Gillenwater said.

At the time of the accident, the vehicle was the only thing holding up the structure. By 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, the vehicle had been removed and contractors were onsite beginning repairs, said Director of Operations Marissa Hsu.

The driver of the U-Haul truck may have had a vehicle malfunction, said Hsu.

"It looks like he was driving entirely too fast in our parking lot," said Hsu, who saw surveillance video of the crash. "He told the police that his gas pedal stuck."

Gillenwater said the shelter will be closed to the public until further notice.

The Kanawha County Commission issued a statement after the incident, offering to provide the Humane Association with assistance.

"We are thankful that no animals or people were hurt badly in this incident," the commission wrote. "The Kanawha County Commission has been in touch with Humane Association leadership, and we are going to help in any way we can."

According to the statement, the commission is prepared to make a special contribution to assist the Humane Association and will facilitate access to barns at Camp Virgil Tate as a possible location to house animals. The Commission has also reached out to the Putnam County Animal Shelter for assistance.